Two of North America's leading vegetarian dietitians present a comprehensive and authoritative guide to adopting a healthy, vegan (meat-, eggs-, and dairy-free) diet. User-friendly and written for the lay reader seeking guidelines on nutrition, detailed information is presented on how to get calcium and protein without meat and dairy products, why good fats are vital to health and how to get them, what vegans need to know about B12, and how a vegan diet can protect against cancer, heart disease, and other chronic illnesses, There is specific advice on how to achieve balanced diets for infants, children and seniors, pregnancy and breast-feeding tips for vegan moms, considerations for weight management, and reaching peak performance as a vegan athlete. Includes a basic shopping list and the vegan food guide which shows at a glance how to get all the nutrition you need in your daily meals. Essential information you need to know to put together the optimal vegan diet.